Hi there everyone!I recently picked up a problem with my canon lens. When you look through the lens everything is dark, even in broad daylight. First I thought the problem was with the camera and had it taken to a shop which told me that the light sensor is broken but later after testing with other lenses that the problem lied with the one lens. Can anyone please tell me what the problem may be and if it is repairable? Thanx- Ruben

The problems you are experiencing with chromatic aberration is almost certainly attributable to the 28-300mm lens you are using. There is a very good reason why the prices of lenses vary so widely and it revolves around both the quality of the glass and the complexity of the construction of the lens, among other attributes.

To minimise such issues in any future lens purchases, try to avoid zoom lenses that have more than a 3x / 4x zoom level (the 28-300 is almost 11x !). The complexities within any zoom system goes up exponentially as the difference between the shorter and longer limits of any lens increases. Should you wish to achieve close to perfect optics, stick to prime lenses (and expect to pay BIG money), or learn to live with the compromises that all zoom lenses have.

The bigger the focal length difference between the short and long ends of a lens, the bigger the problem is likely to be and the more difficult it is for manufacturers to overcome. Sure, manufacturers could improve their glass quality in their super-zoom lenses, but while this could minimally improve the quality, the likely increase of the price of the lens would not justify such a move.

"Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints"

Photographs help to crystallize memories, but cannot be seen to be a replacement of them!

The Lens!. It is definitely more noticeable in low light conditions. Don't believe those that say you "HAVE" to use prime lenses or "marque" (camera manufacturer's) lenses. Faster more expensive lenses will have less aberration than cheaper lenses whether made by the original camera manufacturer or by a "third party" (usually Sigma or Tamron , sometimes Tokina or others){You pay more as you get more!}(normally but not always!) Also not all lenses of the same focal length and design , even from the same manufacturer are equal in performance. Every lens usually has a "Sweet Spot" - combination of focal length (in the case of zooms) and aperture that has the minimum distortion. This is fairly easily found by shooting a sheet of newspaper taped to a wall (preferably in the shade with constant lighting conditions) and shooting at different combinations of aperture, shutter speed and ISO to determine what works best for you. Zoom lenses are a compromise sacrificing some quality for a whole lot of convenience.As ScottM said the greater the zoom range the greater the compromise!"Removing" aberration in post processing can be a real pain and not always very successful.I personally prefer prime lenses not because of any quality issues but because I find the zooming ring gets moved while handling.With a prime I KNOW what focal length I have!

Try "Reading the newspaper" and get to know how to get the best out out your current equipment.Then upgrade when you can with lenses being the best place to do so!